


you're the one i like!

by darlingtimes



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, and a confession, and it's cute and mutual, there's a crush or two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25029082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingtimes/pseuds/darlingtimes
Summary: Taichi gets a love letter, but he can't say yes to it--he likes someone else.
Relationships: Hyoudou Kumon/Nanao Taichi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 63





	you're the one i like!

**Author's Note:**

> this is just me, in the kitchen, making myself food. (at least i'm not the only one in this tag this time..!) anyway i love them and hope you do too!! i hope you enjoy!!

“What’s that?”

Kumon watched as Taichi scrambled to pick up the little envelope that had fallen out of his textbook. It was a pretty, dainty piece of stationary, and seemed out of place among the messy notebooks and papers Taichi had strewn about the table.

It was a weekend in finals season, and the two were doing some extra studying in the dining room together. The dorms were oddly quiet this afternoon, likely because the Director had borrowed most of the Summer and Autumn Troupe to perform for a visiting elementary school in the theater.

“Uhmm, uh…” Taichi blushed slightly, and returned the envelope in between the covers of the book with care. “It’s, um… It’s a fan letter. I got it from a girl in class yesterday.”

Kumon widened his eyes a little. “Wow, Taichi! That’s so cool..!”

Taichi turned even redder. “Yeah, I guess. Let’s get back to work, okay? I want to get a couple more pages done for Tsumugi to look over later.”

“Right! Uh-huh, I should get my homework done, too.” They each turned back to their textbooks, the conversation staunched. Kumon frowned over his math problems and snuck a peek over at Taichi. _He doesn’t seem excited… Usually he’d be happy at his popularity, right?_

A little worried, he continued on with his studying.




Taichi sat in his room that night, the “fan letter” in front of him. Technically it wasn’t a lie, because she was his fan, right? It just wasn’t the whole truth.

The whole truth was, it was a love letter. His very first confession--well, second, if you counted that little girl in the park who was amazed by his skateboarding. A girl in his grade stopped him before he left his classroom to give him the letter, blushing and saying, “I-I’ve watched so many of your plays! I like you, Taichi! Please read this and reply to my feelings!” before running back down the hall to her classroom, embarrassed--she even called out, “Take your time!” as she left.

It was a cute confession, and it even made his heart flutter a little bit. But he wasn’t… happy about it. Taichi felt nervous, and it got worse when Kumon saw the letter and Taichi lied--omitted the truth to him.

Well. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know _why_ he felt so bad about it. Would it be okay to read a letter full of this girl’s feelings when he already knew he couldn’t say yes? But then again, if she put her whole heart into it, wouldn’t it be terrible to cast it aside without even opening it?

“Ugh… Is being popular, like, a hundred times harder than this?”

Dropping his face onto the table, Taichi took another look at the letter. “From Miyamoto Saaya.” The handwriting was so neat, and the envelope was carefully decorated. She probably screwed up a lot of courage to tell him and give him this. More courage than Taichi has. Even though his crush is right there, every day.

All Taichi had to do was read it and tell her “sorry” on Monday. And then after that, maybe he should just confess to his crush.

That’s it, but it never really is as easy as following a magazine column’s advice, is it?

“I’m. So. Stuuupid. Stupid, stu--”

“Taichi? I’m back, are you okay?”

Taichi stopped bonking his head, shoved the hand holding the letter under the table, and swerved his head to the door, turning red. “I-I’m fine! Just, uh, thinking about finals next week! Welcome back, Omi!”

Looks like he’d have to leave reading the letter for another day.




Sunday morning, Kumon was practicing baseball swings in the courtyard.

To clear his mind? Maybe. He wasn’t even sure if it was something he needed to clear his mind of, but here he was.

Yesterday, he and Taichi studied together alone, since the rest of the Summer Troupe students had good enough grades to perform for the kids. But… It was quiet, and not just because the dorms were empty or because they were studying; Taichi just seemed so _down_ , especially with how he reacted to the letter. Was Kumon imagining it? Was it just normal that Taichi wasn’t so talkative?

If something was wrong, Kumon hoped Taichi wouldn’t go through it alone. Then again, if he didn’t go through it alone, it wasn’t as if he’d go straight to Kumon… Taichi was closer to Yuki, or Azami, or the Autumn Troupe.

“...199, 200.”

Kumon set his bat down and breathed in the morning air. His head felt slightly less muddled, but he still didn’t feel the greatest.

He shook his head and stood up straight. Taichi would be fine. There was no need to worry, because he had plenty of people to help him, if he even needed the help… But maybe he should ask, just in case.

Sighing, he headed back to his room to put away his bat and get ready for a shower.




Taichi sighed and poked at his cereal. You’d think that Lucky Charms could solve everything, from love letters to sleep deficiency, but nope.

Taichi had stayed up on his phone all night to avoid thinking about the letter or his crush, so he definitely didn’t get eight hours in. And clearly, he was still thinking, because he was sitting here moping over his breakfast.

“Good morning, Taichi!”

Taichi almost dropped his spoon at the sound of Kumon’s voice. Think of the devil and all that.

He turned his head and--oh, jeez, he just came from the shower, he’s glowing--replied, “Morning, Kyu-chan!” _Stupid, stupid, you’ve literally had a crush on him for ages and for what? You see him every day and you’re still swooning?_

Taichi turned back to his Lucky Charms and took a nonchalant bite as Kumon made his way to the fridge for a protein shake. It seemed that Tasuku had got him hooked on them.

The room was… silent. Like yesterday. Should he start talking to seem normal? They usually talked a lot together, after all. And yesterday was unnecessarily awkward because Taichi didn’t want to tell Kumon that it was a love letter, not a fan letter, and that he was worried about how to respond to it (because he has a crush on someone else, cough, Kumon). Maybe to start, he should talk about Ju--

“Um, Taichi! If there’s anything you’re worried about, I’m always here to listen!”

Taichi blinked and lifted his head to look at Kumon, who got his protein shake and had sat down before Taichi knew it.

“It’s, um, okay if you don’t tell me, too! Since you’re closer with Nii-chan and the Autumn Troupe and Yuki and all of them… And if you’re not actually in trouble or anything, you can forget everything I said! I was just worried ’cause you seemed kinda down...”

He nervously fiddled with his cup, bringing it up to his lips to take a sip.

“Kyu-chan…” _Argh, I really do like him. I need to stop being so wishy-washy and solve this, because maybe I’m scared he doesn’t like me back, but at the very least, he cares about me, and he’s my friend and I shouldn’t make him worry_. Taichi put down his spoon and slapped both his own cheeks, to Kumon’s surprise. Sitting up straight, he said, “Okay! Okay. Kyu-chan! I want to talk to you about my problems, will you listen?!”

“Yes! Um, I just said I would!”

“Great! But I need to prepare myself so let’s have breakfast and then we can talk in my room!”

“Okay, Taichi!”

They looked at each other for a second, wide-eyed and filled with nervous energy, before bursting into laughter.

First, breakfast. Taichi could enjoy this time and talk with Kumon, and then he would tell Kumon everything afterwards, and the weight of it would be off his chest, and it’d be okay.




Kumon sat at the table as Taichi went to his school bag to get something. After Tsuzuru stumbled into the kitchen for some coffee, grumbling something about a morning job, they finally finished breakfast and moved to Taichi’s room to talk about his problems.

Frankly, he had no idea what the problem could be or how he could help. Kumon hoped that nothing terrible happened to Taichi. Though at the very least, it seemed like something he could bounce back from, since at breakfast he was his usual peppy self.

Taichi was back, a little envelope in his hand. The fan letter from last night?

Taking a seat, Taichi placed the letter in front of him and took a breath. “This is what was bothering me. It wasn’t actually a fan letter, it was a love letter.” Scratching his neck sheepishly, he mumbled, “I haven’t read it yet, though.”

A love letter… Well, Taichi _was_ amazing, so of course he’d get things like that. Kumon’s chest twinged a little, but he nodded and waited for Taichi to continue.

“It bothered me because, well, I’m kinda happy I got one… It’s something popular people get a lot, you know? But more than happy, I just feel bad, because I have to reject her… And I have to reject her because… Because I like… Someone else.”

Kumon opened his mouth in surprise, when Taichi grimaced and held up a hand. “Wait, no, um. Not just someone else. I like you, Kyu--”

He _what?_

The door opened, and Omi’s head popped in. “Hey, Taichi, I forgot my SD cards, could you--oh, um. Sorry, I think they were in the living room.” He left with an awkward wave and smile as soon as he saw Taichi and Kumon sitting together.

Taichi turned redder than he already was and covered his face with his hands. “Oh my God, sometimes it’s really like living with my dad… Did you hear me or do I have to say it again?”

Kumon was gaping like a fish, but clapped his mouth shut and nodded dumbly.

“Yes, you heard me or yes, I have to say it again..?”

“I… heard you.”

Taichi exhaled, like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. “Okay. Yeah, um, anyway… That’s why I was acting weird. But I feel better after telling you and I’m going to read this letter and tell her sorry tomorrow.” Taking another breath and looking down, he continued, “Kyu-chan, you don’t have to answer or anything if you… If you don’t know how to react! Because I really like you, but you’re also one of my best friends, so...”

A mixture of nervousness and relief danced over Taichi’s face. Kumon thought he should probably say something, but he was so stunned and his stomach felt so dizzy and buoyant that he wasn’t sure if any thoughts could make it out of his mouth.

So he did the next best thing to saying what he felt, and leaned over to hug Taichi, _hard_.

Unsurprisingly, Taichi wasn’t expecting that much force to come flying at him, and they both toppled to the floor.

“Kyu-chan?!”

“Sorry, I didn’t know what to say!! Are you okay?!” Kumon let go and scrambled to sit up, but Taichi wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled him down again.

“I’m fine, Kyu-chan!” Taichi laughed and said, “Kyu-chan, this kinda thing is another reason why I like you. Um, does this mean that I can tell you that…? It’s okay that I like you?”

Taichi was blushing through this whole thing, but now he was spilling out “I like you” like it was nothing and _Kumon_ was the one as red as Taichi’s hair.

Kumon squeezed Taichi and buried his face into the boy’s shoulder, mumbling. “I think… It’s more than okay. Because I’m always worried that I’m not as important to you as you are to me and when you said that you liked me, it made me really happy, and I think I like you a lot, too.”

Kumon couldn’t see the Taichi’s face splitting in a grin, but he did feel Taichi squeezing him back.

“Thank goodness.”

**Author's Note:**

> wahh hopefully their characterization was nice but thank you for reading this far!!


End file.
